I was thinking about Ed Wood movies a few minutes ago and Bela Lugosi’s role in them in particular, then I realized that I wouldn’t have really become a Bela Lugosi fan if not for MST3K and Rifftrax. This, of course, brings up the question of which actors were introduced through MST3K that led people to become fans of them? In my case, along with Bela there’s no denying Beverly Garland and Reb Brown.
I’m going to expand this to include directors as well but the guy I want to mention is Bruno VeSota, who I had never heard of before I discovered MST3K and who I really think had some talent and who I love to see in anything he’s in.
Who’s your pick?
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John Agar. Definitely John Agar.
Richard Basehart, Rick Baker, John Agar, Beverly Garland, Robert Smith, Mamie Van Doren, Michael Pataki- why, just about everyone or everything now leads back to MST3k.
Off topic-Even the way I look at movies- was watching “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” with GF- OK way to kill an hour or two- then, she pointed that once the main story arc was completed, a whole new movie started- like Mighty Jack or Riding with Death- for those of you who have seen this movie, you’ll get it.
Coleman Francis. Nuff said.
Tor Johnson and Beverly Garland. Too bad they never made a film together.
Barbara Hale from Perry Mason. When she rolled down the hill in the Giant Spider Invasion with that flabby mustache guy tumbling over her, I thought, that’s a game gal!
Joe Don Baker, Alan Hale Jr, and it turns out the guy who plays guitar in The Skydivers was actually a really good musician.
There’s no one in show business who’s career I would want to “follow”, but MST3K has kept my love of old Sci-Fi alive and well.
I can watch “This Island Earth” MTS’ied or not and still enjoy it.
I can only imagine the titles they passed on like:
Battle Beneath the Earth
GOG
Warlords of Atlantis.
I thought “John Carter” was the greatest thing since “Lord of the Rings” but I also can’t wait for RiffTrax to do their thing to it.
I seem to have strayed from the topic.
Stop me before I digress anymore.
Bill Rebane. I actually lived in one of the towns where he made his movies (Merrill, Wisconsin) and had never heard of him. About three years after I moved away, they did “Giant Spider Invasion” and I was amazed that there had been this plucky “film maker” right in my back yard. I’ve become a fan of sorts since then. :-D
Yeah, I’ll go with Tor Johnson as well, as I had only ever seen him in Plan 9 before the movies shown on MST, and then the whole Ed Wood revival that happened around the time of the Tim Burton movie about him. Who back then would have ever guessed that someday you could buy a clock with Tor’s face on it that says “Time For Go To Bed”? Directors…….hmm, was Sam Neufield a director or producer? His name is on so many movies, he was obviously a busy guy back then, and before MST, I’d never ever heard of him.
Arch Hall Jr. is the semi-lovable teen crooner in Eegah, and again in Wild Guitar, a movie that could have been a great showcase for MST3k. But he is at his best as the sniveling psychopath in The Sadist! Love that movie, and I’d have never known about it if I hadn’t watched him on MST3k first!
As far as directors, I have to say that Horror of Party Beach was a pretty cool movie in it’s own right, and got me into Del Tenney’s other sixties films I Eat Your Skin and Curse of the Headless Corpse. After seeing Boggy Creek 2, it gave me a new appreciation for some of his films that I’d watched years before like The Town that Dreaded Sundown and the original Boggy Creek. I also enjoyed The Norseman, a film I probably would not have seen prior.
And although he’s been mentioned, my personal favorite discovery would be Jimmy Bryant, who as an actor pretends he’s enjoying playing for the weirdo crowd in Skydivers, and as a musician has given me hours and hours of enjoyment since!
I was very happy to be introduced to two very beautiful women: Allison Hayes (“The Unearthly”; “The Undead”; “Gunslinger”), and Marisa Mell (“Diabolik” and “Secret Agent Super Dragon”). Given the right opportunities, I think Allison in particular could have blossomed into a very good actress. And I personally think the Del-Aires, from “Horror of Party Beach”), weren’t al that bad- in fact I like the song “Zombie Stomp”.
Never was a fan of westerns as a kid, but after watching Lee Van Cleef in It Conquered the World and Master Ninja, I stumbled upon one of his good movies on TCM. It was then I realized what a terrific actor he really was.
Someone for whom I’ve developed an appreciation for is Jason Evers. “Brain that Wouldn’t Die” is probably the first ep i watched which got me into MST3K in the first place, so thanks for that. And while I didn’t really follow his career, I have noticed that he popped up in a lot of TV shows that I watch. (Mission:Impossible, Mannix, etc.) The man plays great sociopaths.
And speaking of Mission:Impossible, I can’t let this thread go without mentioning Peter Graves. Though in his case, it’s kind of a reverse. I knew him well before I actually got to see any of his MST3K eps, so it’s been kind of neat seeing his early stuff.
Beverly Garland, Wanda McKay, Don Sullivan, Bruno Ve Sota, Gene Roth, Richard Crane, John Ashley, Frank Dietz, John Fasano, John Mikl Thor,
Manos & Torgo :)
:heart: Beverly Garland. :heart: I remembered her from My Three Sons, and I’d even stayed at her hotel once, but before seeing her in the MST3K versions of the Corman films (It Conquered the World, Gunslinger, and Swamp Women), I’d never really appreciated her abilities. She brightens every film she’s in, no matter how cheap the production.
Hmmm, I don’t think “became a fan of” is quite the phrase I’m looking for. I “developed a pathetic fascination with” Ed Wood Jr. after seeing the MST3K version of “Bride of the Monster” because it was so awful yet so earnest. So I sought out “Plan 9 from Outer Space” and “The Violent Years,” (the latter written by EW but not directed by him) and watched them kind of the way you watch a train wreck — you know it’s terrible but you can’t look away. Also, I re-watched the Tim Burton film “Ed Wood” starring Johnny Depp and had a whole new appreciation for (horror of?) it.
I fell in love with the late and beautiful Marisa Mell. So gorgeous! And her death was so preventable. I thought Mike Pataki was great as J.C. and as the Klingon in “The Trouble with Tribbles.” Who else but Mike Pataki could drive Scotty to the breaking point? Am I right?? And finally, because he hasn’t been mentioned yet, Tim Donnelly (cloned Richard in “Clonus”), mainly because I am a big fan of “Emergency!” and he was great in that show as Chet Kelly.
Bruno VeSota is absolutely my top pick. He really does have some acting chops. Uniquely fine in each role, whether as Chillis in Daddy-O, as Dave Walker in Attack of the Giant Leeches, or as Scroop in The Undead. I love seeing him in other, non-MSTied roles, even an old ep of Bat Masterson (which I only watched because of VeSota).
I admit I’ve also come to enjoy Arch Hall Jr, and have watched his other movies. I do own a copy of The Choppers, which is my favorite Hall movie, and I have some of his music on my iPod, which is great when I’m in a nostalgic mood. Hey, I like some of his work…don’t judge me!
Also like Kevin Danzig, the “Amish Band” singer from Soultaker. My son even found a cd of his music for me, and I can now listen to “Happy Today” whenever I want. I’d prefer the soundtrack from Soultaker, but I’ll take what I can get (and that includes a download of Karen Lawrence’s “What a Lovely Way to Go,” also from Soultaker).
Beverly Garland would be the obvious one for me.
While I would not say I’m a fan, MST3K made me realize how much of his stuff I had actually seen and his name now really jumps out at me when I see it in credits: John Phillip Law.
Jon Mikl Thor, John Carradine, Tor Johnson, Joe Estevez, and of course Kline!!! You don’t direct Kline, you just get out of his way.
Bryant Haliday.
Without him Devil Doll would have been just ‘Irritating Doll’.
The Projected Man could only be ‘ The Man who Shouted too Much’.
Bryant Haliday….I am now one of his minions.
For directors: Noriaki Yuasa and Aleksandr Ptushko would have to be my choices–I hadn’t heard of the Gamera films or the so-called “Russo-Finnish” films before MST, and I was intrigued enough to seek out the originals. They’re enjoyable on their own, and the spiffed-up Shout! versions of the Gameras on DVD are magnificent. Also, Coleman Francis–I don’t know if I’d call myself a “fan” of Coleman Francis, but I’m fascinated with the dark, twisted world he inhabited.
I became a fan of the Acromegaly Actors: Richard Kiel, Rondo Hatton, and Robert Z’Dar. They may have been cast for their looks, but they made those roles their own. Same thing with Billy Barty. I saw him in something recently, and he was great. Too bad he didn’t get any lines in The Undead.
I like Mamie Van Doren, and it has nothing to do with BEWBS. She’s sassy and fun in everything she’s in. I love Allison Hayes and Beverly Garland for pretty much the same reason.
I’m just gonna say it: I like Corman. If you haven’t seen Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011), you just gotta!
Tracy Crisp. Her running around in her odd-ball underwear in “The Projected Man” won me over. I’ve only seen her in one other film though, the dreaded “Inspector Clouseau” movie starring Alan Arkin.
MST3K introduced me to Roger Corman. I grown to like the “so bad, it’s good” quality of his films. Although admittedly, The Gunslinger isn’t terrible.
I tend to follow the character actors more closely now including: Chick Chandler (Once Upon A Honeymoon, Lost Continent), Will B. Goode (Bride of the Monster, Sinister Urge, Teenagers From Outer Space) and Gene Roth (the sheriff in almost every MST3K movie)..or was he Merritt Stone?
I see them in other old movies or TV shows and say hey there’s so and so..
As for directors, let’s not forget Bert I. Gordon and Ray Kellogg (put your foot up on something!).
Without MST3K, I definitely would not have known about Beverly Garland.
‘You Became a Fan of ‘
….I would not say I ‘became a fan’ exactly, but thanks to MST, I definitely DO note the presence of; Gene Roth,(and of course, Merritt Stone), Gregg Palmer, George Mathews, and yes–I notice Bruno VeSota (it`s amazing how many tv series that guy popped up in!)
I gotta go with Gene Roth who also worked with the 3 Stooges.
Bev for me too. :inlove:
Count me in as a fan of the Wonderful World That Is Coleman Francis. His three films fascinate me to no end. I certainly never would have heard of him for not MST3K.
RED ZONE CUBA: What can I say? incomprehensible.
THE SKYDIVERS: Dark and sluggish as a cup of black coffee.
BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS: My Fave. His rambling narration is unexplainable in any context.
“Flag on the Moon. How did it get there?”
Also Ray Dennis Steckler. Catch RAT FINK a BOO BOO if you can. Wild and wacky stuff.
Coleman Francis, mostly for The Sky Divers and Red Zone Cuba. It seems like his heart is in the right place and he’s trying to do something worthwhile in portraying a gritty world of people on the fringes of society.
I’ve become a fan of Steve Brody, from The Wild, Wild World of Batwoman and The Giant Spider Invasion. It’s fun to look for him on episodes of old TV series.
I’m fond of Joe Estevez thanks to MST3K. It looks like the man will act in just about anything, even a movie called Baby Ghost.
I’ve become a huge of Clint Eastwood too. The way he reacted when he found that lab rat in his pocket? You can see the talent there. :-P
Space Mutiny exposed me to the glorious acting talent that is Reb Brown aka Big McLargehuge. He was the best thing about that movie but I was unaware of anything else he was in until I came across The Spoony Experiment. Mr. Spoony directed my attention to such wonderful cimenatic delights such as Cage, Cage 2, Strike Commandos and more.
Reb Brown is the right mixture of genuine attempt coupled with atrocious direction.
Even though I watch his movies because they’re hilarious, I do really respect him as an actor. Whenever he’s on screen, the movie takes a turn for the better.
That’s a tough one. Before my local cable provider got Comedy Central (and thus MST3K), back in the mid 90s, there was a show Saturday graveyard on USA called Reel Wild Cinema hosted by Sandra Bernhardt (and produced by Something Weird Video) that played clips from deranged obscure b movies, bookended with witty summations by the hostess. That show introduced me to everything from Manos to Horrors of Spider Island to The Incredibly Strange Creatures, and Eegah! to Samson (Santos) to the films of Al Adamson. And then, the Universal films were all over the television when I was a kid, when I didn’t recognize how bad they were (though I had my suspicions about The Deadly Mantis).
Likewise, I’m familiar with Roger Corman going back to reading Famous Monsters of Filmland as a kid, and from a local saturday night show called Shock Theater. Then there was the 1982 movie It Came from Hollywood with Dan Ackroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner and Cheech and Chong, a film which apparently inspired MST3K. In ICfH, the comedians riff Ed Wood, Robot Monster, The Creeping Terror, Teenagers from Outer Space, Giant Spider Invasion and Horrors of Party Beach, among others. That came out on HBO at the time
As a kid, I saw The Thing that Wouldn’t Die, Squirm, The Black Scorpion, The Brain that Wouldn’t Die, The Screaming Skull, The Beginning of the End, Laserblast, The Incredible Melting Man, The She Creature, I was a Teenage Werewolf, Gemini Man (Riding with Death), The Touch of Satan and all the Universal schlock.
So MST3K didn’t introduce me to much other than The Dead Talk Back as far as what I could call myself a fan of. And it’s hard to say who I am a fan of in that movie. It’s just enjoyably quaint to me. But I’d say that MST3K made me more of a fan of John Agar than I would have been. That’s odd, I know.
Nestor Paiva was in many of my favs, including Return of the Creature (The Captain), Tarantula (The Sherriff), The Mole People (The Load), was a regular of the Rocky Jones serials, the innkeeper in Zorro, etc. He had a handle for dialects so was a natural for different ethnic parts. He stayed active all the way till his death in 1966, and his last movie release was “They Saved Hitler’s Brain” in 1968. Sounds like a show made for riffing!!
I liked “The Magic Sword” growing up but didn’t know of the magic of Burt I. Gordon until MST3K.
#19
One of the travesties in Hollywood history is how Kline was
never awarded a lifetime achievement Oscar. He just lit up
the screen any time he appeared.
Oh, and don’t forget Merritt Stone in The Rebel Set. What a performance!
I knew of Mario Bava before I saw DIABOLIK, but after watching it I had to go out and devour as much of his filmography as I could.
On the “bad” side of things, any time I come across a film by Bill Rebane, I have to dive in. I also have to credit Cinematic Titanic, Rifftrax, and MST3K (by way of the Pod People opening) for getting me into Don Dohler and his backyard sci-fi/horror epics.
Hm, not much original to add, except for one thing: Ed Wood aficionados have made a minor fan favorite out of actor Paul Marco (“Kelton” in a bunch of movies) but have ignored the unique talents of Carl Anthony. I’ve harbored a small fascination for Anthony’s special brand of robotic line deliveries and bizarre enunciations ever since MST3K and Rifftrax acquainted me with him. I think he may have been an android or an alien who learned English from phrase books.
Like a lot of folks here I’m now convinced that Coleman Francis was some sort of sad, lonely auteur. Also I’m more appreciative of Bert I. Gordon, since the films of his featured on MST3K actually exhibit some range from the nearly-serious sci-fi (Amazing Colossal Man) to outright exploitation (Village of the Giants) and even a bit of straightforward melodrama (Tormented).
First and foremost, Ray Dennis Steckler. I’ve become a fan of many others riffed by the Brains, but RDS blows them all away in the morbid personal fixation factor by making me feel like I’m looking into some sort of eldritch mirror that distorts space and time. ‘The Hollywood Strangler Meets The Skid Row Slasher’ in particular, released the year of my birth, gave me this eerie feeling that if I’d ever gotten gotten a career going in film, but been born instead at the dawn or WWII, I’d have made a movie that turned out much like that, with an even longer title. Great Zombie Jesus!
Say, have we ever done a Weekend discussion of things we became fans of because of mentions in riffs and the ACEG? I know I’d have at least 20 fewer Frank Zappa CDs if I’d never seen the show.
I’d have to agree with Allison Hayes. I think The Undead was the first thing I’d ever seen her in & I was really blown away by her–her looks obviously, but also her confidence and talent.
I would say Tor Johnson and Rondo Hatton are two that I learned to enjoy because of MST3K…
As for directors, every time I see Colman Francis, Bert I Gordon, and… there’s one other (that I can get his name right now) or even hear them mentioned un-ironically as a “master” of sci-fi cinema I almost choke, thinking, “Have you seen their movies??”
I’ll always be grateful to MST3K for SANTA CLAUS, partly for cluing me in to the wild, wacky world of K. Gordon Murray and partly because I dimly remembered seeing it as a small child in a theater during a Christmas matinee and was half-convinced I dreamed it. (“So, Santa is caught in a tree and it’s the Devil’s fault and he has to deliver all the presents by daylight and he can’t let anyone see him or he’ll turn into powder…?”)
They’ve all been pretty much named, but I’ll add my name to the list of Allison Hayes, Jimmy Bryant (there’s a 3-cd set out there of his that’s great from start to finish), Arch Hall Jr (The Sadist is particularly unnerving, and the CD of his music is a hoot), Roger Corman (his autobiography is extremely entertaining), John Phillip Law, Jon Mikl Thor (Rock N Roll Nightmare is awesome), and on and on…
And while High School Big Shot is definitely depressing, I think it’s a very effective little movie, especially in light of Tom Pittman’s untimely end.
#36 – I believe there has been a topic along those lines, though I can’t recall the exact discussion name. I remember commenting during a previous discussion thread about how “Danger Death Ray” got me listening to Herbie Hancock… :-)
Just to show how unconcerned I am with the cast and crew of these movies, I always thought Lance Fuller was the guy in “THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE”
“I’ve got to hurry.”
(DON’T ACT!)
#38 – I agree about Rondo Hatton. I’d never watched most of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies (never liked Bruce’s Watson), but when I learned Hatton played in one of them, I had to give them a looksee…
#33 ck, HE’S NOT MERRITT STONE!!!
Coleman Francis, Tor Johnson, I was always a fan of Bela Lugosi even before MST3K because of Dracula so I can’t mention him, I had only seen one Ed Wood movie pre MST3K and that was Glen Or Glenda because I had a teacher who asked me to watch it in high school (which seems really weird now that I think about it) but Red Zone Cuba and The Unearthly really brought Francis and Johnson to my attention
For me, Arch Hall, Jr. (fantastic in ‘The Sadist’ (see my avatar)) and Joe Don Baker (great in the criminally under seen ‘Charley Varrick’ amongst others) are two people I took notice of, which might sound odd, as they’re not exactly treated well by Joel&theBots (Arch for his face, Joe Don for his gut), but despite their ribbing, I grew to really like those two guys. In addition, Jeff Lieberman (another odd choice, as he actively dislikes MST) is a director I’ve discovered I like; ‘Squirm’ is actually kind of a fun movie (uncut) but his out-in-the-woods horror film JUST BEFORE DAWN is one of the best slasher films ever made. Looking forward to checking out ‘Blue Sunshine’..
Also, Jon Mikel Thor, who I don’t really like per se, but MST did lead me to his master opus ROCK N’ ROLL NIGHTMARE, which you must seek out, if for nothing but the climatic battle. Hilarious stuff. “Weeeeeeeee, accept the challenge!” http://youtu.be/gPbzOKF55xE
Also also, Coleman Francis. ‘Nuff said.
AlsoX3, it was always fun to see stuff with/by people I was already familiar with/a fan of, such as Roger Corman, Mario Bava (and to a lesser extent, his son Lamberto), Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasance, Rick Baker, Godzilla, Eddie Deezen, and Ed Wood, even. ‘Plan 9’ was one of my pre-MST bad movie faves, back when I was 12 or something.
Definitely Joe Don Baker. He’s a very talented actor. And this is probably an unpopular opinion, but Mitchell is not a terrible movie. I think it’s biggest flaw is a complete lack of any likeable chracters. There’s no one to root for.
Gonna have to say that I am now a fan of Joe Estevez thanks to MST3k. Every time I see him in a film, I’m filled with a warm fuzzy feeling. Him and, of course, Ben Murphy…in all his mellow glory! And I also have to profess a huge love for the collected works of Robert Z’Dar! Maniac Cop, Samurai Cop, Cherry 2000….the man is an artist!
(This was supposed to be ironic fandom, right?)
I had seen a lot of the movies in Season 3 before they were MST3K versions..Beverly Garland grew on me after Gunslinger and Swamp Diamonds
I had seen Zombie Nightmare long before I knew who Frank Dietz and John Fasano were and wound up meeting them both at Monsterpalooza last year. Frank and I are facebook pals now.
I first saw Wanda Mckay in Jungle Goddess and wound up owning 2 films that she is in Bowery at Midnight and The Monster Maker. She was always in B movies but these 2 are above average and are very much worth seeing.
I will also mention Gary Lockwood from the Magic Sword who I also met and was very cool as we discussed that movie! Forget 2001 ..
Bryant Haliday as well. I like Devil Doll un MST’ actually..